Reviews

106 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
The Thing (I) (2011)
5/10
Close, No Alien Cigar
12 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I wanted to dislike this, mainly because I thought I was about to see Carpenter's film. But I watched and I'm not entirely sorry I did. I give much credit for a solid performance by the lead actress; she does NOT overplay and that's critical. I also applaud the clever spin on the 'find out who's human' test, and some solid suspense along the way. What really hurts the movie has been discussed here. Namely, you know and care nothing about the many characters, to the dangerous point of losing track of how many remain at various points. Nothing could be deadlier for such a film. I would add that, also mentioned here, it's very odd that the alien, whose entire survival relies on replicating hosts, keeps revealing itself when not in danger. It's a shame - a tighter script with logic and minimal character development, and we could've had something here.
0 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Hail, Caesar! (2016)
1/10
Hail, Garbage
27 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Before I die, I'd like someone to explain to me why the Coens are so revered. This offering, I grant you, lacks the usual scenes of sadism they like toss in. But that's pretty much all it's got going for it. First off, there's no story. None, and Clooney's being seduced by commie screenwriters is not a story. Then...what decade is this? Brolin uses a 1930s phone, the musical numbers are MGM late 1940s, and there's a singing cowboy star who would not be a star in the 1940s. THEN - the pastiche numbers. I've seen lots of Gene Kelly/sailor dancing films. Basically, I kept waiting for a movie to start. One never did.
3 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Lucy (I) (2014)
2/10
"If Lucy be lousy..."
27 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
(Title is Shakespeare, FYI.) And, yes, Lucy is lousy. I'm sure a million reviews here have had a blast with the ridiculous '10% of the brain' premise. Personally, my objections (also likely share by many) go to: Morgan Freeman. ENOUGH. We know you're the go-to God figure and it's extremely tired. Then, and worse, is the irritating shift in style. The audience putting up with the pseudo-science-spirituality garbage has the right to expect that Lucy will spectacularly kick the bad guy asses at the end. But, noooo. Instead, Lucy, who could in a heartbeat save a bunch of lives, goes time travelin'. Most annoying of all is the 'Contact' nonsense about how humanity may not be ready for so much knowledge. Ya think? Ultimately, this is way pretentious bilge.
1 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
The Boss (2016)
4/10
Terminated
23 January 2017
This gets a 4 only because the first 45 minutes deliver, at least a little. Yes, there's lots of crudeness. Still, McCarthy is so, so watchable (she has perfected the sideways, barely heard moment). McCarthy is also able - remarkably - to still make explosions of profanity funny. Unfortunately, and before midpoint, this goes completely off the rails, and aside from the way too trite story element of emotional denial and epiphany. You keep wanting someone to give McCarthy something decent to work with. The earlier, admittedly very broad farce simply degenerates into stupid and unfunny cartoonishness, and it's just too bad. You can almost feel the actors' wondering of how and why any comic promise was allowed to be destroyed. Melissa and we deserve better.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Case 39 (2009)
8/10
Kids. Always Trouble.
9 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Seeing this on TV a few times now (thank you, SyFy channel) has disturbed me. That is, for the first time, I'm extremely impressed by Zellweger. I am drawn to any flick in which the monster is a kid, mainly because such scenarios so invert norms and amplify a horror film. But what really gives this movie weight is RZ's performance (while the demon girl is quite good as well). It is exactly right, particularly when she spots the little witch who should be burning in the house. Another actress would have overplayed the moment, but Zellweger understands how her character has had to confront the unearthly with this beast before. I would add that the scene between Cooper and the girl is also strong, as he just barely conveys the character's sudden awareness of what he is actually facing. All in all, a nice little scare film, and a brava to Renee.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
3/10
Been Here Before. A Lot.
11 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I do like James Wan. I really did enjoy the first 'Insidious,' if the second was a bit too much 'The Shining' for me. This film, however...well, it's supposed to be a prequel but that's pretty meaningless, all things considered. Ironically, this bad movie can stand on its own. There's just too much of an implication that seeing Elyse again will generate fear and tension, when nothing beyond another greedy demon (somehow asthmatic, to boot) is presented as the real draw. WE HAVE BEEN HERE MANY TIMES. Most of the performances are appealing, but they just can't give weight to what is an empty, by-the- numbers horror flick.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Push (2009)
8/10
Gladly Pushed
11 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I stumbled onto this movie last night and - strange to relate! - I didn't do my usual surfing afterward. No, this is not a brilliant film. Yes, there are scenes where you really don't quite know what's going on, given the range of psychic abilities in play and their ways of shifting/warping reality. Yet there's more here than the standard bad guy vs. good guys mutant fest. The direction pretty much keeps you going, just as the performances are neatly restrained. Maybe one day Evans will get a meaty, upscale dramatic role. I hope so. Meanwhile, he's honest and authentic as Nick. As for Dakota Fanning - hot damn. This is 2009 but the young lady clearly has gained from her child star days, and she moves through her scenes with wonderful assurance. It's actually difficult to not focus on her. OK, the ending sort of indicates a sequel (and the final scene reminded me a bit of Amy Irving in 'The Fury'), but it still ties up enough plot lines to be satisfactory. All in all, a distinctly watchable thriller.
1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
The Forest (I) (2016)
4/10
Mostly Gump
19 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
What's most sad about this film is how it begins in such a promising way; it takes off running, as it were, as twin Jess is off to Japan to find her missing sister. There are a few shocker moments along the way, giving you the mandatory jolt, once the forest becomes the scene. Unfortunately, too much is either unexplained or hard to accept. As in: the bizarre visitors' center across from the legendary suicide forest, in which the charming attendant doesn't bat an eye before leading Jess to a basement full of corpses. Or the character of Aiden, never ever clarified as good or sleazy guy, given the unreliability of Jess' perceptions. Or how and why the sister survived for about 5 days in these woods, when everyone entering them has no problem in getting out, or why she herself was not victimized by the unpleasant spirits. I will say that the ending delivered a tad and fulfilled the warning of how the forest 'tricks' the unhappy into suicide. Still. It's a largely unrewarding and badly paced film, and I add that it's unusual to see so many Asian actors giving truly bad performances, as happens here.
1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Hail, Caesar! (2016)
1/10
Why, Caesar?
11 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
If you're like me at all, you'll still be waiting for the film to begin when the closing credits role. On the plus side, you have an awful lot of stars who seem to be having fun. You have a glossy production and some elegantly slangy, period dialogue. What you don't have is pace of any kind, nor momentum, nor any honest idea of what the point is beyond lampooning/paying homage to old Hollywood. The themes, apart from Brolin's character as conflicted by a job offer, are hopelessly obtuse. Is it about communist writers seeking a new society? Swell, but this ignores the reality that many communist-affiliated screenwriters both earned high salaries and had no intention of destroying the system. OK, set that aside. There still remains muddle in a big way, as in lengthy recreations of period movie scenes that do not move the story whatsoever, nor go anywhere else, and defy era. What year is this? The adverts claim it's the 1950s but this is wholly irrational. In what year were Esther Williams-style swimming movies made along with singing cowboy films? MOST egregiously: in no Hollywood musical in which sailors sing and dance about a lack of women does the choreography involve them dry-humping one another. Not that I've seen, anyway. I also wonder in what universe Tatum deserves stardom, just as it is highly bizarre that a communist movie star would, in the midst of his career, leave for Moscow in a submarine. Ehrenbeich is, I admit, truly wonderful as the singing cowboy, but this alone cannot save a self-indulgent mess of a film. Coens, really, now.
20 out of 34 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
ATM (I) (2012)
1/10
Just Use Plastic
23 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
As about a million folks here have made clear, this film really takes the suspension-of-disbelief bit a tad into the next galaxy. Fortunately I only watched it while playing a word game. Which was much more thrilling than ATM. Director. Writer. You are obligated to plausibly account for why 3 people in bitter cold would park a hefty distance away from the ATM, and why the same 3 do not consider running away at any point, which they could easily do. There is ONE unarmed psycho out there (who, by the way, telepathically knows that his 3 imminent victims happen to not have their cell phones on them, which is extremely unlikely but which allows him to murder the comically sacrificial security guard in front of them). I'm actually fine with no explanation of the psycho's motives, although his residence choice (a storage locker) is questionable. Everything else, however, is just plain beyond ridiculous, even down to the police completely ignoring the survivor's desperate attempt to point out the killer, and there were a lot of police. This could have been a good thriller. All it needed was writing that obeyed the most basic laws of physics and probability.
3 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Worth Dozens of Viewings
1 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I know this film backwards and, like 'The Heiress,' it's testimony to the greatness sometimes achieved in yesterday's Hollywood. The screenplay is faithful to Hellman, and the opening-up scenes have no forced feeling. However - and as melodramatically wonderful as the story is - it's mostly about Davis. Her Regina is exquisitely perfect, with a lifetime of bitterness as subtext always. The climax in which she sits as her husband dies is breathtaking, time after time; she becomes a fixated, horrified and horrifying, porcelain doll. But do NOT fail to appreciate the beauty of Patricia Collinge's Birdie. In fact, keep your eye on her as the vile Hubbards scheme and she occupies a background corner. I honestly can't think of a supporting performance as brilliant, with the possible exception of Hopkins in 'Heiress.'
2 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
The Heiress (1949)
10/10
What Made Hollywood Great
27 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Beautifully crafted films like this. Director Wyler moves a stunning cast through an authentic translation of the James novella and play and, remarkably, it doesn't even feel like a "filmed play." The screenplay is deft and true to each character, but it is the acting that really triumphs here. Richardson's doctor is maybe his best film performance; his disdain for Catherine is balanced by his responsibility as a parent, and you get very well how he fails to perceive his own cruelty. Clift delivers the right degree of subtle scheming in Morris, De Havilland maybe overplays just a bit but is still extraordinary (especially as her voice deepens when her rage is expressed), and Hopkins, not in a lead role, is the perfect Aunt Penniman in every way. This is a treasure, pure and simple, and no one who values movies at all can afford to neglect it.
3 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
Was the Second Half Better?
21 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Here we go again. Somehow, prurient, graphic violence and sex are seen by way too many as juicy suspense, and I could honestly deal with only 45 minutes of this glossy mess. The little 'story' I noted was inane. Two foreign girls encounter a ghoul sewed up inside the mattress, and STAY in the hotel? I've been broke, but never that broke. Far worse, though, is the grotesque indulging in sadism. I seriously want to know: who believes that watching a man get anally raped by a ghoul (for quite a while, too) is good horror/suspense? Who admires an extended orgy scene culminating in bloody murder? I give 2 points only for LG's costumes. The rest of this twisted, unskilled, adolescent fetishist fantasy deserves absolutely nothing.
11 out of 19 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Sinister (I) (2012)
8/10
Nicely Creepy
12 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Why all the disparagement here? Why the fierce objections to found footage once again used as a plot device? Virtually every device in all genres has been endlessly employed - what matters is if the film works, and this film works. Ethan Hawke is believable as the tortured author, and he thankfully does not overplay the angst card. The wife is a thankless role, but such wives in such movies usually are. The point is, the story unfolds at a nice pace, and the use of the footage is just downright chilling. I take 2 points off for the hero's failure to connect some fairly obvious dots, regarding his own children and the kids of the murdered families; seriously, the daughter's knowledge and painting of the missing Stephanie was a massive alert. Nonetheless, and while no work of art, 'Sinister' is an engaging and well-crafted horror flick. PS No happy ending here.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Annabelle (I) (2014)
6/10
Fair But Promise Wasted
23 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Yes, the doll is just creepy as hell. Yes, the performances are fine, and it's always a joy to see Alfre Woodard. And, yes, there is some outstanding Wan-like directorial technique. As in: the early attack scene framed through a background window, and precisely the right number of seconds of the camera fixed on Annabelle. What goes wrong is basic logic. Sorry, but it just kills me when this is sacrificed. C'mon, now - the husband merely accepts that the doll he threw into the outdoor trashcan is now in a box, sent over with the others? The wife's remark that there was confusion because of the fire...no. The house didn't burn down and it's a stretch to believe that a neighbor or fireman found the doll (somehow) in the garbage and made those efforts. I realize it's a minor point, but these are the lapses that greatly weaken a horror film. Then, one has to chuckle at a priest who, believing in A as a demonic instrument, blithely chucks her in the back seat.

Worse, though, is the 'chase scene' aspect to the final thrust. It's not that it doesn't work; it's that the road is just too, too familiar. I also had a problem with Woodard's sacrifice. That is, I don't quite get that her reason to live, as revealed by her daughter's loving spirit, is to present her soul to the DEVIL.

Too bad. A creepy doll flick deserves better.
3 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Elysium (I) (2013)
2/10
Elysium: Foster Gains Paycheck
28 December 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Stock. Plain and simple, mindless, 'futuristic', action stock. All through this archly predictable nonsense, I was keenly aware that Damon and Foster were cast because Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver are too old. Now, let's see - issues? There's a big difference between a wealthy subculture protecting its privilege and one denying untold numbers of dying people miraculous medical technology. When the lower half of a head is blown off, it's likely that the brain will be hurt too, and, again, that is some FANCY medical machinery. It seems silly to have an isolated enclave for the rich in space when anyone can fly in from ugly Earth AND there're about no more than 2 droid/cops on hand to deal with intruders. Add to this list characters with no dimension, and you get...well, at least Jodie Foster got paid. She earned it for the most bizarre accent to hit the screen since Martin Short's wedding planner.
2 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
The Conjuring (2013)
9/10
Solid, All the Way (Except for the Ghosts)
27 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
What makes this film great is that it builds on old-fashioned cinema values usually tossed out in horror movies. No stupid behavior from the characters. No gratuitous scenes. Believable reactions, as in the marvelous moment when the mom, scared but searching the home, yells at whatever is rattling around. Add stylish filmmaking and Bathsheba, and you're good to go. Beyond this, Wan is beginning to expand what horror can be - basically, and I've always felt this, it's a genre in which all other genres can exist. Put another way, it's simply drama when it's done well, as solid story and characters evolve and confront shifting realities. Lecture done. Let me just end by saying how much I loved and appreciated - at last! - an ending not ambiguous.
0 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Evil Dead (2013)
2/10
The Evil Robbery
12 October 2013
This gets 2 only because the premise had promise; interesting, that no one would believe the girl who encounters a demon because she's withdrawing. Not great, not original, but OK. However. That's it, and the reviews here praising this idiot slasher crap seem to feel it's worthy of being a genre itself - that is, moronic scenes setting up mutilation. I don't get it. I don't get why the dude feels the urgent need to read aloud the words in the forbidden book, especially as he reveals having some respect for this sort of thing. Don't get how a Wal- Mart carving blade can slice through bone or how a girl does not immediately bleed to death after. Then again, nobody bleeds realistically here. Back to the lovers of this: are you seriously claiming that inane reactions make a movie work, as in the ABSURD (and tired) moments of emotional pause when the demon takes the brother down memory lane, or the idiot blonde goes into the cellar cause Mia sounds kinda scared? Worst of all is the math. The book makes it clear: five souls taken, then the real abomination comes with the blood rain. Four, demon. You only got four. Nurse, brother, idiot blonde, and book dude. But I'm wasting everyone's time. Slasher porn, and really bad even for that adolescent 'genre'.
2 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Insidious (I) (2010)
8/10
Close to Excellent....
24 September 2013
Warning: Spoilers
It's too bad when Wan goes along beautifully and then loses his grip. That's the only real problem here, and kindly ignore reviews trashing the acting, etc. It's uniformly solid, with believable leads, and Wilson nicely avoids what could be a 'pretty boy' trap. The scares begin and build creatively, and the direction keeps you in pace with the victims. Yes, the whole idea is 'Poltergeist', but absolutely everything's been done before anyway, and what matters is the novelty of approach. This film brings it. Sadly, the rescue of the boy in the Further is just too, too protracted, and relies too much on stock horror nightmare props. I'd have preferred plain murky, for why would these lost souls be so fetishistic over scary dolls and creepy music? This is a dimension, after all, and not a realm within a person's mind, which might explain those elements. And...I wanted a happy ending. Sorry. But I did. All that said, however, it's highly watchable and light years better than all the slasher/sadism porn calling itself horror.
0 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Very Near to Wonderful
11 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I deduct 1 point ONLY because the reality behind the story is left just a bit too obfuscated. I like some mystery, but a slightly stronger framework at the conclusion (namely, the 'stepmother's' failure to immediately come to the girl's aid and get help, and some clarity as to that woman's actual presence in the house after the deaths) would have greatly supported what is otherwise a stunning, hypnotic thriller. So, YES, you get lost. YES, too, lines are blurred between madness and the real. But that's what crazy is, people, and this is definitely not a case of a sloppy writer/director being lazy. As is true of the garbage a lot of reviewers here are pointing to as brilliant, like 'Darko'. Maybe it's an American thing: after all, Americans like excess, many think aging adolescents like Tarantino are skilled, and overt pretentiousness is seen as craft. But, enough of my ranting. This is simply a high-quality film, stunningly acted, haunting, and oddly moving.
2 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Better Than Fair(y)
8 July 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Let me say right here that the damning reviews for this are solid evidence for why I gave up on critics years ago. This is NOTHING MORE than campy, surreal, visually-entertaining fun, and it offends me how big-name reviewers both attack its lack of dimension (?) and get things wrong, to boot. Time's Corliss, for example, notes that Edward the Troll saves Gretel because he is impelled to pity humans. Uh..no. Listen to his line, for God's sake. That arch-hack Rex Reed refers several times to multiple gang rapes. As someone who won't go near a film with a rape in it, I can safely assert that he is very off-base. Nothing new there. I will concede one point: wittier dialogue would have been very welcome. Nonetheless. This is precisely as fun in a moderate way as you have the right to expect it to be. And please ignore critics who seem to think pointing out the incongruity of high-tech weapons in Feudal settings indicates how clever they are.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
The Road More Traveled
17 June 2013
Warning: Spoilers
The bad: No, it's not 'The Wizard of Oz', and even savvy critics still seem to take points off for this as they acknowledge that it does not seek to be that classic. The costumes. Strange. Why is Theodora in a Halston ensemble while her sister is dressed like a drag queen? The monkey. OK, it's Disney and we must have the funny sidekick, but...yeesh. There are also minor items to quibble with, as in Potter- esque duels lacking in innovation. There's also the major flaw of uneven pacing. All that said, well done. It's a finely-crafted fairy tale and it brings home a few morals kids really, really need to know. The acting is strong (although Weisz is hesitant),and it's smart to use Franco and give a manly sexiness to the young wizard. The effects are just right, and the climactic scene works like a charm. Best of all is Mila Kunis, and I really don't get the dismissals of her here from other reviewers. Far more so than Weisz, she inhabits the character fully, and she's the most excellent component in a very good film. And 'Oz', if not the classic, simply is a very good film.
1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Carrie (2002 TV Movie)
5/10
Burn, Baby, Burn
5 June 2013
Warning: Spoilers
First off, there's a sad desperation in the reviews that praise this remake because it's more faithful to the book. That is not always a virtue, and I found the flashback sequences annoying, simply because there was no tension; there was nothing these characters could reveal (except for Sue, which goes to the absurd ending). Similarly, there is no need to be truer to the pig-killing scene. It's awful enough done briefly. As for other elements...Clarkson is a better Mama, for sure. The Carrie, not so much. The evil Chris, great, and there's not much you can do with the gym teacher beyond what any actress will do (although I missed Betty Buckley's kind of creepy reminiscence at the prom, indicating an ugly duckling agenda of her own). BUT. The prom inferno was terribly done. Sloppy, and not in a realistically good way. Worst of all is both Sue Snell character and actress. This lone, sympathetic character came across as annoying and not all that nice, and there is then even less basis for the rescue ending: I understand you have extraordinary powers and are deeply troubled, so let's get you to Florida? All in all, not worth watching. While the original is flawed, it was De Palma's territory, and it works as glorious camp/horror.
0 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Mama (I) (2013)
7/10
Truly Good - Could've Been Great
26 May 2013
Warning: Spoilers
It's so frustrating to finally see a horror film that could be something rare and wonderful - a lovely horror film - and then watch it fall short because of a few key mistakes. First off, this is good. Really good. Bored beyond measure by today's emphasis on visuals, I feel the art and graphics here are stunning and different. The acting is high, high quality straight through, with the possible exception of the thankless role of the sister-in-law. The story itself is mythic and haunting. Best of all is Chastain's arc from (believable) rock chick to mom. How great it would have been, had the trajectory simply built on the growing rivalry between the two female forces. It does to a degree, but it goes off in sad places. As in silly, easily avoidable plot and character lapses: why would the doctor not warn Annabel (it couldn't hurt his agenda), and no hubris brings a lone man to that cabin at night, knowing what he knows. Or: the dumb, late night appearance of the sister-in-law. Aaaaargh. Then - why introduce the father's spirit only once? Is he not as strong a ghost as Mama? Lastly, utterly unforgivable is Luke's rising at the end, after Mama hand-spears him. I didn't want him dead, but dead is better than an actor having to play that, 'huh, what happened?' moment. Still. The ending is nicely set up (and borrows beautifully from 'The Uninvited'), and actually affecting emotionally. How many horror movies can make that claim? As said, this is so close to greatness, it makes you angry.
2 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Oblivion (I) (2013)
8/10
Old-Fashioned, Solid Sci-Fi
30 April 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Yes, it borrows lots from 'Total Recall', 'Matrix', etc. Yes, there are plot holes. Yes, there's the obligatory futuristic dwelling with impossibly gleaming floors and Danish Modern furniture. But this is simply a well-made sci-fi epic, and that's a rare beast these days (see my review of the ghastly 'Prometheus'). It could use a little editing to tighten and better set up the big plot surprise, which I confess threw me; I thought it was a temporal issue. Still, Cruise does his Cruise thing very well, Sally is wonderfully menacing, the concepts were fresh or freshened, the last 30 minutes keeps you nicely fixated, and, most amazing of all, Morgan Freeman isn't annoying in his Mystical Black Man turn.
2 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
An error has occured. Please try again.

Recently Viewed